After four years as Barack Obama's legislative director in the Senate, Chris Lu knows the president's preferences and record as well as anyone -- which puts him in the perfect job these days. He's the Cabinet secretary -- a title that belies an intense assignment as chief intermediary between the White House and the federal agencies, dealing with matters small (getting Easter Egg Roll tickets for Cabinet members) and large (mediating turf wars).
On a daily basis, his job is not only to convey the president's views and expectations to all the department heads and keep them on message, but also to help them resolve their issues with the White House.
"I like to think of myself as an honest broker," he says.
Lu was born in New Jersey but grew up in Rockville, where he graduated from Thomas S. Wootton High School. He's known Obama since they attended Harvard Law School together, but they cemented their friendship when Obama hired him in 2004 for his Senate staff.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Lu is one of the highest-ranking Asian Americans in the administration. The 43-year-old first didn't foot on Chinese soil until this July, as part of an official White House mission on climate change.
"It was incredible," he says. "To get to go to China on your first trip as part of an official delegation was just really -- I mean it -- I was speechless."
Full Transcript
Ms. Romano: Welcome, Christopher Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary at the White House. You are among the most senior Asian-Americans in the administration and in the White House. What does that mean to you?
Mr. Lu: It means a lot to me. My parents were both born in China. They moved to Taiwan for grade school and high school. They both emigrated here in the late '50s for college.
There is not a day that goes by that, as I park my car by the
Ms. Romano: What was it like when you walked into your
Mr. Lu: I remember this distinctly. It was right after inauguration. We had a bus that took us over from the Capitol to the White House.
We actually came down the parade route, the bus. And a lot of the folks on the side were waving to us because I think they thought we were important, and I think they also thought that we were starting the parade and [not] just a random bus coming down the street.
They let us off by the entrance to the White House. We filled out our paperwork; got our Blackberries, and then we were shown to our offices. And I remember getting to my office. There was no furniture there, because they were repainting at the time. And so, I basically just sat on the floor and just kind of soaked this all in.
And I remember calling my mother, and my mother was the first person I called, and said, "Mom, I'm sitting in my office in the White House." And she said "How come you're not at the parade?" And I said, "Mom, I'm sitting in my office in the White House." And I think it finally hit her at that time, and I think it hit me at that time that I'm now in the White House.
Ms. Romano: Now, I know your dad didn't live to see this moment, but have you brought your mother into the White House to see your office?
Mr. Lu: I have, and, you know, one of the funny things about the various jobs that I've had over the last couple years is that it seems like with each job I have, my office gets smaller and smaller, which is something that my mother perpetually comments on.
But she was--I think she was awed too that her son was here, and my mom and I are very close. We're not emotional people, but, you know, she said, "Your dad would have been very proud of you, if he could have seen that." And I think we kind of both teared up a little bit.
Ms. Romano: The first time you actually set foot on Chinese soil was last summer; is that correct?
Ms. Romano: As a representative of this administration. What was that like?
Mr. Lu: It was incredible. [My parents] had both gone back to China numerous times. For a variety of reasons, I had just never had the time to go back.
And to get to go to China on your first trip as part of an official delegation was just really--I mean it--I was speechless.
And the funny thing, with each meeting, Secretary [Gary] Locke or Secretary [Steven] Chu would always ask me to say something. And I remember being completely tongue-tied in a meeting with the Chinese Premier, where Secretary Locke turned to me and said, "Mr. Premier, I want to introduce to you Chris Lu. This is his first trip to China. Chris, would you like to say something to the Premier?"
And all that came out of my mouth was, "Thank you. Thank you for having us here."
Ms. Romano: And how did the Chinese react to you all?
Mr. Lu: I think they felt a--they felt a kinship to us. All three of us are Chinese-Americans. We all obviously represent the American government. That's obviously our first priority. But they felt a kinship.
The fact that to varying degrees we all understand some Chinese, we can all say some words of Chinese I think made the conversation and made the meetings a little bit more personal.
Ms. Romano: Do you think it mattered to them that the Administration sent over their top three Asian-Americans?
Mr. Lu: I do. Yeah, I do think it mattered. In Chinese culture, relationships are very important. And having Chinese-Americans come over as the representatives of the government I think was important.
Ms. Romano: How important are U.S.-China relations right now?
Mr. Lu: Well, look, I mean the U.S.-China relationship is one that's based on mutual interests, mutual respect. The United States is interested in having a positive relationship, a constructive relationship, a comprehensive relationship with the Chinese.
And that covers all areas, including economic areas, which is one of the reasons why the President is going to China next month.
Ms. Romano: Are you going with him?
Mr. Lu: I'm told I am going on the trip. I never want to get my hopes up until I'm actually on the plane, but I'm told that I'm going.
Ms. Romano: In some quarters, President Obama's decision to postpone a meeting with the Dalai Lama was viewed as the United States maybe taking a step back from holding, you know, China's feet to the fire on human rights.
What's your take on that?
Mr. Lu: You know, one of the wonderful things, Lois, is that there are hundreds of people in this government that work on China policy, and I'm very fortunate to say that I'm not one of them.
So, I--it's an area that I don't know a lot about, to be honest with you.
Ms. Romano: Oh, come on? You're punting.
Mr. Lu: I obviously don't know.
Ms. Romano: Let's talk about President Obama.
You have known him now since law school. What are your earliest recollections of him?
Mr. Lu: We were only acquaintances in law school, but I have a distinct recollection of being in a class with him, and it's--you know, I'm probably dating myself, but there were those old E.F. Hutton commercials, when somebody speaks, everyone listens.
And when Barack Obama spoke in class, everybody listened. He was a thoughtful, an intelligent, a decent person.
And those same qualities are the ones that have carried over in the last four and a half years when I've worked with him as a U.S. Senator, as a presidential candidate, and as the President of the United States.
Ms. Romano: So he had a presence even in law school?
Mr. Lu: Everyone knew who he was. I mean when he was elected president of the Law Review--he was the first African-American that had ever been the president of the Harvard Law Review. So, that was a newsworthy thing. But even before that, everybody knew who Barack Obama was.
You know, it's very funny. I think about those early days in the U.S. Senate when he was 99th in seniority, and we would go to the Senate floor, and he would be speaking about an amendment on a bill or some arcane issue, and he had a presence about him. And other, more senior Senators listened to him. And he's always had that presence.
Ms. Romano: You once referred to him as a human Rorschach test. What does that mean?
Mr. Lu: I think he really embodies a lot of the hopes of all kinds of people in this country. People who are liberal see liberal qualities of him. People who are conservative see conservative qualities of him. He's multi-racial, so he embodies the spirit of different ethnic and racial groups. He really is, in many ways, the embodiment of the American dream.
